John Brown has found his next NFL gig. The free agent wideout is finalizing a deal to join the Broncos practice squad, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Las Vegas signed the veteran speedster earlier this year and guaranteed him more than $3MM, but Brown later requested (and was granted) his release. Since being let go in late August, the receiver had one reported visit with the Falcons.
The 31-year-old has seen time in seven NFL seasons with the Cardinals, Ravens, and Bills. He had 1,067 yards from scrimmage only two seasons ago, but he followed that up with a disappointing 2020 campaign (458 yards from scrimmage, three touchdowns). Now, he’ll be looking to revitalize his career in Denver. As Mike Klis of 9News points out (on Twitter), Brown “has sickle cell trait,” which can be a concern at high altitude. Of course, both the organization and the player are apparently not concerned about that being an issue.
Brown could have a chance to stick around Denver with Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler sidelined. The Broncos depth chart is currently led by Courtland Sutton, with the likes of Tim Patrick, Kendall Hinton, Diontae Spencer, and David Moore also vying for targets.
You’d think that Brown would slot in as the third receiver (in terms of targets) behind Patrick. That said, Hinton has had a couple of important plays in the last few weeks and the organization seems to appreciate his playing quarterback last year in the Saints game. Even though Hinton is sparingly used, he may be a larger target than expected for Brown to compete with for snaps.
Lets goooo